Mieczysław Rakowski, *SEASIDE NOCTURNE*, 1924

23.7 x 32.7 cm - oil on plywood

signed lower right: M. de Rakowski | Ostend 1924

Mieczysław Rakowski (de Rakowski) (Więckowice near Kraków 1882 – Brussels 1947) studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków from 1905 to 1911 under the guidance of Florian Cynk, Leon Wyczółkowski, Teodor Axentowicz, and Józef Pankiewicz, under whose guidance he continued his studies in Paris. He also studied in Munich and Florence. He settled permanently in Belgium, where he became a naturalized citizen, worked, held numerous exhibitions, and gained recognition and popularity. He did not sever ties with his homeland, and Polish motifs—landscapes and views of Kraków—recurred in his work. A major retrospective exhibition of the artist’s work was held in Kraków in 1960. The National Museum in Kraków also holds a large collection of the artist’s paintings—featuring views of Belgian cities and ports from 1929–1930.